Bhutan is officially a Buddhist kingdom. It’s also a fledgling democracy trying to establish a balancing act to honor its Buddhist identity while maintaining a separation between religion and government. The compromise the country has settled on for now excludes clergy from political life. 

The Baha’i faith hasn’t attracted many followers in Africa. But there is one Baha’i temple on the continent, located in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. It’s one of the few green spaces in the city, and one of the quietest, too.

As Moldova tries to align itself with the European Union, the region of Gagauzia continues to lean pro-Russian. Now, there are efforts to get Moldovan officials to engage directly with Gagauzians to draw them away from Moscow’s influence.

Moreton Bay, on Australia’s eastern coast, has lost over 95% of its oyster reefs over the past few centuries. These reefs are not just the source of a culinary delicacy, but they help filter seawater and protect shorelines from the effects of storms, sea level rise and increasing temperatures. Scientists are now studying the oysters’ resilience in the face of climate change.

Since the end of the Korean War in the 1950s, South Korea provided an estimated 200,000 children for international adoptions. That’s believed to be more than any other country. But the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Korea now says the system was plagued with abuse and falsified information, and that it was driven by profits. The new report has been a long time coming for adoptees who have been pushing for more transparency.